Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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323. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he has received correspondence from an organisation (details supplied) concerning the Firearms Expert Committee; when he will meet with members of two groups to address their concerns. [14489/23]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 323 and 325 together.

I can confirm that my Department has received correspondence from the organisations referred to and I can advise the Deputies that I have responded accordingly.

It was noted in the published reports that two of the Firearms Expert Committee's (FEC) terms of reference were discussed as agenda items at the committee's sixth and seventh meetings. These were:

- To consider whether firearms certificates should be conditioned to specify the locations where the firearm may be used,

- To consider whether firearms certificates should be conditioned to limit the use of the firearm to the purpose for which the firearms certificate was sought.

These items were part of the original terms of reference approved by the Minister of State in October 2021 and have been well publicised since the process to establish the FEC commenced.

It is well established in national and EU law (Section 4(2)(a) of the Firearms Act 1925, as amended, and Article 6(1) of the Firearms Directive) that applicants for firearms licences shall have ‘good reason/cause’ for acquiring and possessing a firearm. In addition, Article 6(2) of the Firearms Directive requires that EU Member States have in place monitoring systems to ensure that the conditions of authorisation set by national law are met throughout the duration of the authorisation (i.e. licence) of any firearm.

The two terms of reference cited arise from the question of whether the ‘good reason/cause’ stated in an application for a firearm certificate would continue to be valid if the firearm is used at a location or for a purpose other than those stated when setting out ‘good reason/cause’, and whether this would be compliant with the Firearms Act and Firearms Directive.

As the FEC has not yet submitted its reports, it would not be appropriate to pre-empt any of its recommendations. In any case, the role of the FEC is to make recommendations for subsequent consideration by the Minister of State. Any policy decisions arising from any of the recommendations would of course be subject to prior consultation with stakeholders.